Shipping carton and platform



Oct. 17, 1933. HAUSE ET AL 1,930,893

SHIPPING CARTON AND PLATFORM Filed July 21, 1932 3 2027210 B. Hausa Thomas .2 7 714 71231215 Patented Oct. 17, 1933 Liliane 1,930,896 I SHIPPING CARTON AND PLATFORM Donald B. Hause and Thomas Frank Williams Evanston, 111., assig'nors te Sprague, Warner 8; Company, Chicago, 151., a corporation of H11 nois Applicationdulyfil, 1932. Serial No; 623,868

4 Claims. (Cl. 236 -44) The invention forming the subject matter of this application is a foldable container stamped out of sheet material, such as cardboard, and adapted'for use as a mailing envelope for advertising matter; and also adapted to serve as a platform on which to support the advertising matter the container is designed to hold during transit.

The container platfonn is designed for mailing advertising collapsible cardboard easels, which are usually placed on counters or in store windows for display purposesfi It is the custom for grocers and others who use display easels of this type to elevate the same at various heights when displayed in store windows. Ordin rily, store keepers use an empty box or something of that nature to give the required elevation to the display easel. t is the object of the present invention to adapt the mailing container for such easels as a readily accessible platform for use as an elevating means of this kind. In other words, the invention is designed for use not only as a shipping carton or enclosure for a folding display easel, but also as a platform upon which the easel when unfolded can be elevated.

Gther objects of the invention will become apparent as detailed description thereof proceeds.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the container with the parts folded sealed for the purpose of shipping advertising matter such as a display easel;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary central longitudinal section to an enlarged scale of the aforesaid container easel;

Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating the method of use of the shipping carton as a platform;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the stamped out blank. forming the aforesaid combination shipping container and platform; and

igure 5 is a fragmentary detail illustrating e of detachably securing the adjacent 1- os o the container-platform together.

As shown in the drawing, the invention cornprises a blank designated generally by the reference character 1. This blank includes a sub stantially rectangular main body 2 lying between the dotted lines shown in Figure 4 of the drawing. Side flaps 3 4 are hinged to the body about lines 5 and d respectively; these lines being formed simply by bending or creasing the material of which the container platform is made. The flap 3 is provided with two series of slots 7 and 8; and the flap i is similarly provided with two series of slots 9 and 10. The slots '7 and 8 are adapted to receive tabs 11 and 12; while the slots 9 and 10 are adapted to receive the tabs 13 and 14, the tabs 11 and 13 being formed on opposite edges of an end flap 15, and the tabs 12 and 1% being on the opposite edges of the end nap l6. w

The distance between the outer straight edges of the tabs 11 and 13 and 12 and 1a is equal to I the distance bet pen the hinge lines 5 and 6 of the main body 2. In other words, the width of each of the end flaps 15 and 16 must not exceed the distance between t e lines 5 and 8 so that these end flaps may be folded over onto the main body 2 and at the same time permit the side flaps 4 and 5 to be folded over the end flaps for the purpose of completely encasing the display easel 17. The side flaps 3 and i are substantially equal in width to one-half the dist nce between the hinge lines 5 and 6, and the eno 15 and 16 are of substantially the ash flaps 3 =1. This is necessary in order that the parts when v unfoldedand secured to form the platform, indicated generally by the reference character 18 in Figure 3, may be properly supported on a floor or other platform.

The hinge lines for the end flaps 15 and 16 are indicated in Figure 4 by the dotted lines 19 and 2o. When used as a mailing carton the display easel 17, which must not exceed when folded, the dimensions of the rectangle indicated by the dotted lines 5, 6, 19 and 28 in Figure l, is arranged within this rectangle. The end flaps 15 and 16 are then folded over the ends of the display easel; then, the side flaps 5 and 6 are folded over the end flaps and the display matter contained therebetween. The side flaps are preferably secured to each other by a strip of adhesive material such as is commonly used for this purpose.

By reference to Figure l of the drawing, it will be noted that each slot of the series of slots 7, 8,

9 and 10 are equal in width to the lengths of each v V of the tabs 11, 12, 13 and 14 and that these tabs are undercut so that they may be used to interlock with the side flaps 3 and 4 when the parts are assembled, as shown in Figures 8 and 5 of the drawing. The series of slots are provided so that the user may vary the height of the platform as desired. r

it will be apparent from Figures 3, 4 and 5 of the drawing that when the device is assembl d to form a supporting platform the sides constituted by the flaps 3, 4, l5 and 16 are inclined inllt wardly toward the body 2. This inward inclination limits the outer dimensions of the platform to the width of the main body 2 thereof and results from the formation of the end flaps to permit their proper folding between the side flaps when the device is used as a mailing container. It will also be evident that the height of theplatform may be varied by inserting the locking end tabs in the different slots of the several series.

It will also be obvious that the platform formed by this shipping container will be exceedingly light as compared with the ordinary make shift platform resulting from the use of wooden boxes or other heavy cartons not specially designed for this purpose. The adjustability for height renders the container-platform a very desirable expedient for use in supporting display easels, and similar matter, at different heights in anadvertising display.

7 mg from the spirit of our invention, the scope of which is set forth in the annexed claims.

What we claim is:

1. A mailing wrapper for display cards and the like comprising a blank of stiff sheet material creased to form a main body, a pair of side flaps of equal width and of the same length as said body hinged to opposite edges of said body, said end flaps being vsubstantially equal in-le'ngth to the width of said body, said pairs of flaps being foldable over said main body in a fiat condition completely covering the same and being provided with cooperative interlocking means for detachably connectingthe flaps to each other to form a boxlike supporting platform.

2. Thestructure set forth in claim 1, in which the said interlocking means detachably connects the pairs of flaps to each other with the plane of each flap extending at an angle less than a right angle to theimain body.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1 in which the cooperative interlocking means is adjustable to vary the height of the main body relative-to the free edges of theside flaps. I

4.Th'e structure set forth in claim 1 in which the cooperative interlocking means comprisesa pair of similar series of slots formedin each of said side flaps, and a pair of undercut tabs on the opposite edges of each end flap adapted to slide through any of said slots and interlock with the opposite sides of said side flaps.

DONALD E. HAUSE. THOMAS FRANK WILLIAMS. 

